diff --git a/src/app/core/submission/submission-object-data.service.spec.ts b/src/app/core/submission/submission-object-data.service.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b7c06272e6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/app/core/submission/submission-object-data.service.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+import { Observable } from 'rxjs';
+import { SubmissionService } from '../../submission/submission.service';
+import { RemoteData } from '../data/remote-data';
+import { SubmissionObject } from './models/submission-object.model';
+import { WorkspaceItem } from './models/workspaceitem.model';
+import { SubmissionObjectDataService } from './submission-object-data.service';
+import { SubmissionScopeType } from './submission-scope-type';
+import { WorkflowItemDataService } from './workflowitem-data.service';
+import { WorkspaceitemDataService } from './workspaceitem-data.service';
+
+describe('SubmissionObjectDataService', () => {
+  let service: SubmissionObjectDataService;
+  let submissionService: SubmissionService;
+  let workspaceitemDataService: WorkspaceitemDataService;
+  let workflowItemDataService: WorkflowItemDataService;
+
+  const submissionId = '1234';
+  const wsiResult = 'wsiResult' as any;
+  const wfiResult = 'wfiResult' as any;
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    workspaceitemDataService = jasmine.createSpyObj('WorkspaceitemDataService', {
+      findById: wsiResult
+    });
+    workflowItemDataService  = jasmine.createSpyObj('WorkflowItemDataService', {
+      findById: wfiResult
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('findById', () => {
+    it('should call SubmissionService.getSubmissionScope to determine the type of submission object', () => {
+      submissionService = jasmine.createSpyObj('SubmissionService', {
+        getSubmissionScope: {}
+      });
+      service = new SubmissionObjectDataService(workspaceitemDataService, workflowItemDataService, submissionService);
+      service.findById(submissionId);
+      expect(submissionService.getSubmissionScope).toHaveBeenCalled();
+    });
+
+    describe('when the submission ID refers to a WorkspaceItem', () => {
+      beforeEach(() => {
+        submissionService = jasmine.createSpyObj('SubmissionService', {
+          getSubmissionScope: SubmissionScopeType.WorkspaceItem
+        });
+        service = new SubmissionObjectDataService(workspaceitemDataService, workflowItemDataService, submissionService);
+      });
+
+      it('should forward the result of WorkspaceitemDataService.findById()', () => {
+        const result = service.findById(submissionId);
+        expect(workspaceitemDataService.findById).toHaveBeenCalledWith(submissionId);
+        expect(result).toBe(wsiResult);
+      });
+    });
+
+    describe('when the submission ID refers to a WorkflowItem', () => {
+      beforeEach(() => {
+        submissionService = jasmine.createSpyObj('SubmissionService', {
+          getSubmissionScope: SubmissionScopeType.WorkflowItem
+        });
+        service = new SubmissionObjectDataService(workspaceitemDataService, workflowItemDataService, submissionService);
+      });
+
+      it('should forward the result of WorkflowItemDataService.findById()', () => {
+        const result = service.findById(submissionId);
+        expect(workflowItemDataService.findById).toHaveBeenCalledWith(submissionId);
+        expect(result).toBe(wfiResult);
+      });
+    });
+
+    describe('when the type of submission object is unknown', () => {
+      beforeEach(() => {
+        submissionService = jasmine.createSpyObj('SubmissionService', {
+          getSubmissionScope: 'Something else'
+        });
+        service = new SubmissionObjectDataService(workspaceitemDataService, workflowItemDataService, submissionService);
+      });
+
+      it('shouldn\'t call any data service methods', () => {
+        service.findById(submissionId);
+        expect(workspaceitemDataService.findById).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+        expect(workflowItemDataService.findById).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+      });
+
+      it('should return a RemoteData containing an error', (done) => {
+        const result = service.findById(submissionId);
+        result.subscribe((rd: RemoteData<SubmissionObject>) => {
+          expect(rd.hasFailed).toBe(true);
+          expect(rd.error).toBeDefined();
+          done();
+        })
+      });
+    });
+
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/app/core/submission/submission-object-data.service.ts b/src/app/core/submission/submission-object-data.service.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..15ede18cb8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/app/core/submission/submission-object-data.service.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+import { Injectable } from '@angular/core';
+import { of as observableOf, Observable } from 'rxjs';
+import { SubmissionService } from '../../submission/submission.service';
+import { RemoteData } from '../data/remote-data';
+import { RemoteDataError } from '../data/remote-data-error';
+import { SubmissionObject } from './models/submission-object.model';
+import { SubmissionScopeType } from './submission-scope-type';
+import { WorkflowItemDataService } from './workflowitem-data.service';
+import { WorkspaceitemDataService } from './workspaceitem-data.service';
+
+/**
+ * A service to retrieve submission objects (WorkspaceItem/WorkflowItem)
+ * without knowing their type
+ */
+@Injectable({
+  providedIn: 'root'
+})
+export class SubmissionObjectDataService {
+  constructor(
+    private workspaceitemDataService: WorkspaceitemDataService,
+    private workflowItemDataService: WorkflowItemDataService,
+    private submissionService: SubmissionService
+  ) {
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Retrieve a submission object based on its ID.
+   *
+   * @param id The identifier of a submission object
+   */
+  findById(id: string): Observable<RemoteData<SubmissionObject>> {
+    switch (this.submissionService.getSubmissionScope()) {
+      case SubmissionScopeType.WorkspaceItem:
+        return this.workspaceitemDataService.findById(id);
+      case SubmissionScopeType.WorkflowItem:
+        return this.workflowItemDataService.findById(id);
+      default:
+        const error = new RemoteDataError(
+          undefined,
+          undefined,
+          'The request couldn\'t be sent. Unable to determine the type of submission object'
+        );
+        return observableOf(new RemoteData(false, false, false, error, undefined));
+    }
+  }
+}